3 killed after pickup truck carrying 11 passengers rolls over in suspected 'smuggling event' in California
- Three people were killed when a pickup truck suspected of smuggling 11 people across the US-Mexico border lost control and rolled over near San Diego.
- The truck reached up to 100 mph in the rain on Interstate 8.
- Border Patrol agents who pursued the vehicle deployed a Controlled Tire Deflation Device (CTDD) to flatten the truck's tires.
- The driver, a US citizen identified as 21-year-old Luis Alberto Virgen, was arrested and jailed.
- The incident is under investigation. It is not yet known if agents saw passengers inside the truck's cargo bed, a Border Patrol press officer told INSIDER.
Three people were killed when a pickup truck suspected of smuggling 11 people across the US-Mexico border lost control and rolled over, after Border Patrol agents deployed a "tire deflation device" on Thursday night.
At around 4:10 p.m., Border Patrol agents discovered multiple tire tracks near the border that continued northbound into the US - a "typical sign" of smuggling activity, according to the Border Patrol. A piece of a vehicle was also discovered in the area.
Ten minutes later, agents discovered a Chevy Silverado that was missing an identical part of the vehicle they found, the Border Patrol and the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Agents signaled for the truck to stop, but the driver fled, prompting a 100 mile-per-hour chase in the rain on Interstate 8.
Agents eventually used a Controlled Tire Deflation Device (CTDD) to flatten the truck's tires, causing the truck to lose control one minute later. As it drove to the side of the highway, it crashed and rolled over, according to the Border Patrol.
Three of the 11 passengers were ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. Seven of the passengers were hospitalized.
The driver, a US citizen identified as 21-year-old Luis Alberto Virgen, was arrested and jailed.
The incident is being investigated. It is not yet known whether agents saw passengers inside the truck's cargo bed, a Border Patrol press officer told INSIDER.
The Border Patrol's policy allows certified agents to use the CTDD only "when the immediate or potential danger ... is less than the immediate or potential danger to the public" should the suspect vehicle continues driving.
"The CTDD shall be deployed in a manner that minimizes risk of injury to persons or damage to property," a 2014 Border Patrol guideline said.